Keeper Of the Balance
by Moolis
Summary: Riku arrives in Twilight Town, befriending a girl named Shawl. She appears to be an ally of the king, but there's something strange about her... Has Riku walked straight into a clever trap laid by Orginization 13? And is Shawl really even what she seems?


_(a/n I have NOT played Kingdom Hearts 2. So If I have details incorrect, please don't yell at me. However, this is a unique story, and I expect most of it to be almost completely unrelated apart from names and places. Also, don't be surprised if the chapters change a bit and you come back and something you know was here isn't anymore. I change things a lot .So this is now version 3 of my story… I went and took down all the other chapters because only 1 and 5 fit the story still, and everything else is in the midst of heavy editing. :P)_

_**Disclaimer**: I do not own Riku , Mickey, Twilight Town, Kingdom Hearts, or anything else related to the game that may come up in the story. However, I do own Shawl and the plotline._

Riku hovered cautiously at the edge of the city, not sure if this is where he wanted to be.

"Are you sure this is Twilight Town?" he asked his companion, stalling for time. King Mickey, who stood next to Riku, looked puzzled as to why his friend didn't enter the city.

"Of course it's Twilight Town," he said, " We followed the twilight road here, and doesn't it look familiar to you? You saw it inside Castle Oblivion."

"Yes, it does, but…"

"Well then, c'mon!"

Mickey strode forward, entering the city that rose abruptly out of nowhere. Riku hesitated only a moment longer before following the king into the city.

Shawl's head shot up, her black hair brushing the dark skin of her face as it dislodged itself from her braids. _Balance._ Balance had entered Twilight Town. She sat very still, not quite listening, but sensing it's presence, just getting a general idea of what part of town it's 'owner' was in. She stood, smoothing out the skirt of her long black dress and then stopping abruptly. This wouldn't do if she needed to fight, which seemed to happen every time she stepped outside of the clock tower. She concentrated for a moment, willing the spell to work. Her dress vanished, and she was briefly clothed in purple and black fire before it faded away to reveal a much more practical outfit, consisting of a black tank top, a short, flowing skirt over a pair of close-fitting pants and a long black coat over everything. She made sure all of her concealed knives were in place and adjusted the zipper on her coat before sweeping out of the door.

"Mickey, are you sure we're going the right way? I think we passed these shops already." Riku finally voiced what he had suspected for the last half an hour. The pair was wandering in a part of town that seemed to be completely devoid of people.

"Of course we're going the right way!" declared the king, although his normally confident voice faltered slightly.

"We're lost, aren't we?"

"Uh, looks like it, pal."

Riku sighed, "Well, lets backtrack a couple of streets and see if we can find someone who can give us directions to the cl…" Riku stopped mid sentence, straightening up and drawing Soul Eater.

"What's wrong, Riku?"

He only had time to say one word before they were under attack. "Heartless."

Shawl hurried down the streets to an almost deserted part of town. Most people had left this area because of the frequency that the heartless attacked it with. She stopped, breathing heavily for a moment. She cleared her thoughts, and attuned herself to that wonderful balance again. It was close. And she could also sense something else, the dark taint that she knew so well. The heartless. There! In a side street, both essences combined. Without further thought, she ran in, drawing two of her knives, longer-bladed ones, and readying a thunder spell. The air around her crackled with purple-tinged-black lightning. Two swift slashes with her right knife quickly dispersed two of the creatures, allowing her her first view of the other occupants of the street, a boy who appeared to be around her age, with shoulder-length white hair, and a short figure who's face was obscured by both a black hood and the heartless he was fighting. It was impossible to miss his, weapon, though. He wielded a keyblade. The boy looked startled for a moment, but quickly regained his composure, revealing a blade of his own with which he attacked the creatures ferociously.

"THUNDERA!" cried Shawl, releasing the built-up energy of the spell. Lightning struck in the alley, surging with power. When the crackling lightning had disappeared, no heartless remained, just the blackish smoke they left behind once destroyed. Shawl scanned the alley quickly, making sure there was no further danger before she lowered her knives.

"You okay?" she grunted, still exhilarated from the battle.

"Yeah," he replied.

"I'm Shawl," she said, beginning to stow her knives away in various folds of her clothing, "And whom do I have the pleasure of just having fought along side of?"

The boy looked uncomfortable, his bright green eyes darkening. "Riku," he said after a moment.


End file.
